To lay or not to lay, that is the question.

[FLXCHIX]

My girls are 18 weeks old and one Hen has laid a few eggs. Question is, since we are in the fall season and days are shorter and colder, should I add light to the coop to encourage consistent egg laying ? Thanks

 

[Tonyroo]

You can, but you'll be sacrificing the health of your hens in the process.

 

[Jennc-123]

I have 2 hens, one late blooming 22 week pullet, a few 15 week olds and some 10 week olds. I'm planning to let the light diminish but after days start getting longer I plan to add earlier artificial light. I'm hoping this will be a less invasive strategy than full light all the time.

 

[Nigel27]

You can, but you'll be sacrificing the health of your hens in the process.

Please explain

 

[Nigel27]

I was thinking of putting an led grow light in the coop on a timer.

 

[aart]

My girls are 18 weeks old and one Hen has laid a few eggs. Question is, since we are in the fall season and days are shorter and colder, should I add light to the coop to encourage consistent egg laying ? Thanks

Maybe, but they just may not be ready yet.
It's the light not the cold.
Pullets will mature a bit slower this late in the year, they may lay soon or not util after solstice.
If you do choose to ass lights make sure they are powered safely,
and you must use a timer as consistency is crucial.
Here's a pretty good article on supplemental lighting.

You can, but you'll be sacrificing the health of your hens in the process.

Depends on how you manage the light...especially with older birds(>18mo), they need to molt every fall.

I was thinking of putting an led grow light in the coop on a timer.

Need white light....they aren't plants

 

[Nigel27]

Maybe, but they just may not be ready yet.
It's the light not the cold.
Pullets will mature a bit slower this late in the year, they may lay soon or not util after solstice.
If you do choose to ass lights make sure they are powered safely,
and you must use a timer as consistency is crucial.
Here's a pretty good article on supplemental lighting.

Depends on how you manage the light...especially with older birds(>18mo), they need to molt every fall.

Need white light....they aren't plants

thought I’d check, thinking that the grow lights are more similar to natural sunlight, and they’re on flat panels so easy to put above the roost. Would they still work? Or do they need to be white?

 

[CHlCKEN]

My girls are 18 weeks old and one Hen has laid a few eggs. Question is, since we are in the fall season and days are shorter and colder, should I add light to the coop to encourage consistent egg laying ? Thanks

Hi good question- in my experience birds who start laying in the winter months have a more consistent pattern. I would not put a light in the coop, as it is like forcing you to stay awake until 2:00 am. They need their sleep to! How many girls do you have? If you have more than ten you will be getting a decent amount of eggs since they don’t fully stop laying

 

[CHlCKEN]

Maybe, but they just may not be ready yet.
It's the light not the cold.
Pullets will mature a bit slower this late in the year, they may lay soon or not util after solstice.
If you do choose to ass lights make sure they are powered safely,
and you must use a timer as consistency is crucial.
Here's a pretty good article on supplemental lighting.

Depends on how you manage the light...especially with older birds(>18mo), they need to molt every fall.

Need white light....they aren't plants

Hey! All my grow lights are white

can’t STAND those purple lights

 

[FLXCHIX]

Hi good question- in my experience birds who start laying in the winter months have a more consistent pattern. I would not put a light in the coop, as it is like forcing you to stay awake until 2:00 am. They need their sleep to! How many girls do you have? If you have more than ten you will be getting a decent amount of eggs since they don’t fully stop laying

I have six girls. I feel like I should just let nature take its course. Got another egg today and even one makes me So happy..lol. I don’t want to stress them out. I enjoy them just for the unique, funny creatures they are and eggs are the cherry on top!